Film still of The Meyerowitz Strories (New and Selected) © Netflix/Atsushi Nishijima
The Meyerowitz Stories: Noah Baumbach observes the passage of time
For his first time in Competition at Cannes, Noah Baumbach, director of the highly-acclaimed Frances Ha (2012) and While We’re Young (2014), is presenting The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) which sees him team up once again with Ben Stiller, joined by Adam Sandler, Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson.
In this latest film, Baumbach chronicles the passage of time. The focus is on heritage, as estranged siblings come together to celebrate their ageing father, an artist. This is the director’s third collaboration with Ben Stiller, three years after While We're Young, a comedy in which he also reflected on the sands of time. He approached the theme by looking at a clash of generations, in the meeting of two couples: one in their forties, entrenched in a monotonous, humdrum life, and the other, two young and hip New Yorkers.
A true Brooklynite, Noah Baumbach likes to film in the streets of New York. There, he filmed Frances Ha, a spirited, awkward young woman who dreams of a career in dance. This black-and-white comedy drama, with its moments of melancholy, is the filmmaker’s biggest critical success so far.
By his own admission, Noah Baumbach’s films are heavily influenced by Rohmer and Truffaut – the same "New Wave" inspirations that are readily cited by the man who could be said to have trained him: Wes Anderson. Together, they co-wrote La Vie Aquatique (2004) before reuniting for Fantastic Mr. Fox in 2010.
“I learned a lot from Wes. Principally, Wes is so committed to doing it to the way he sees it in his head. Getting as close to making the film as he conceives it – and being uncompromising in that way. We are just so close.”
